Will these youngsters play for India?

May 29, 2008 18:42

The Indian Premier League brought many fine talents to our notice. But how many of them are India prospects? CricketNDTV.com takes a look at some youngsters who might get a call to the Indian team, which is to be named soon for the tour of Bangladesh and the Asia Cup.

The Indian Premier League brought many fine talents to our notice. But how many of them are India prospects? CricketNDTV.com takes a look at some youngsters who might get a call to the Indian team, which is to be named soon for the tour of Bangladesh and the Asia Cup.

<div><strong>Delhi Daredevils, 14 wickets</strong></div>
<div></div>
<div>The wiry seamer with the catchy name has become regular with the Tamil Nadu side, but it wasn&rsquo;t until now that he displayed his impeccable line and cool temperament on the big stage. Mahesh is currently the fifth highest wicket taker in the IPL with 14. </div>
<div></div>
<div></div>
<div>Normally, when you have the likes of Glenn McGrath and Mohammad Asif sharing the new ball, you would think that a little-known seamer would be targeted as the weak link. That&rsquo;s hasn&rsquo;t been the case with Mahesh, who, along with Ferveez Maharoof, has not only kept the runs down, but also provided wickets in plenty. </div>

<div><strong>Kings XI Punjab, 13 wickets</strong><strong></strong></div>
<div></div>
<div>We&rsquo;ve only just had our first look at this well-built deck-hitter from Punjab and already, there&rsquo;s much to be impressed about. Gony bowls with good pace, hits the pitch hard and even gets the ball to swing out. It&rsquo;s an oddity he wasn&rsquo;t considered by the Kings XI. Given his built, he also smacks the ball hard. His hitting was best displayed against Delhi Daredevils, when got eleven runs in the last over to win the game for Chennai.</div>

<div style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><strong>Rajasthan Royals, 12 wickets</strong></div>
<div style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"></div>
<div style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">Trivedi doesn&rsquo;t strike you as an intimidating bowler. His pace won&rsquo;t threaten most, he doesn&rsquo;t move the ball so much, and his frame is slight. Normally a bowler like that will get feasted upon in the big league. But not Trivedi.</div>
<div style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">&nbsp;</div>
<div style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">The other night against Mumbai, this seamer from Ahmedabad kept both Sanath Jayasuriya and Sachin Tendulkar on a leash, mixing his pace and length cleverly to keep the master batsmen guessing. Ultimately, he got both out. Trivedi at the moment has the seventh-most number of wickets in the IPL, and looking good for with the way Rajasthan Royals are playing. </div>

<div><strong>Delhi Daredevils, 335 runs</strong></div>
<div></div>
<div>Dhawan is just 22 but he brings the calm of a veteran to the crease. He&rsquo;s had a few seasons with Delhi behind him and is developing into an exciting prospect. Dhawan is a consistent, free-stroking opener for Delhi in the domestic circuit. In the IPL, he has displayed good a good array of shots along with a healthy knack of rotating the strike, and his fielding is a huge plus. But for him to break into the Indian side, he will have to wade through a lot of competition. Some of it is from his state mates, Gautam Gambhir and Virender Sehwag. However, in the coming seasons, we can expect Dhawan to hold forth his own. </div>

<div><strong>Rajasthan Royals, 295 runs</strong></div>
<div></div>
<div>Yusuf has been on India&rsquo;s fringes for a while but not for Baroda, for him this 25-year-old has been winning games in more ways than one. The world had a glimpse of Pathan&rsquo;s raw muscle in the World T20 final. It was a tasty appetiser of what was to follow in the IPL. The hard-hitting allrounder has given us a complete display of not only his shots, but also his cool-headedness. Given the package of skills he brings in, it may not be long before Yusuf is playing alongside his brother Irfan and winning games for India. </div>

<div><strong>Rajasthan Royals, 244 runs</strong></div>
<div></div>
<div>The diminutive opener from Goa was an unheard commodity for those who hadn&rsquo;t seen him play. He had scored a massive 254 in the last Ranji Trophy against Railways, but it took a foreigner --- Royals captain Shane Warne --- to milk Asnodkar&rsquo;s big-hitting capability. </div>
<div>&nbsp;</div>
<div>Warne has a special to-do list for each of his players, and Asnodkar was assigned the role of The Enforcer. The impact was immediate. Some compared Asnodkar to another pocket-sized dynamite, Sri Lanka&rsquo;s Romesh Kaluwitharana. Their influences on their team&rsquo;s successes are comparable. </div>

<div><strong>Mumbai Indians, 206 runs</strong></div>
<div></div>
<div>Long before he began hogging the limelight in the IPL, this slim all-rounder with the powerful bottom-hand was sending balls flying outside cricket grounds around Mumbai. Nayar had several gritty innings to contribute in his debut season with Mumbai when they won the Ranji Trophy after being down in the dumps halfway through the tournament. </div>
<div>&nbsp;</div>
<div>Consistent performances followed the next season --- more so with the bat. It earned Nayar a place with the Mumbai Indians, and he did a tragic hero turn for them, playing a couple of fighting knocks in losing causes. While Nayar hasn&rsquo;t had the most impressive numbers in the IPL, he has shown in abundance that he has the firepower to change, and the deftness to control, a match. </div>